prev story

next story

Longing for your Ex-Candidate?

If you were a Giuliani, Edwards, or Thompson supporter, you might be sad today. Warning: When you go to vote, your ex might still be on the ballot. Though you might be tempted to touch the screen, hoping that it will make some sort of difference, you ought to know that it actually won't. Your vote will go to that ballot box in the sky, and mean nothing for the outcome of the race.

Likewise, if you already cast an absentee ballot for someone who as since dropped out of the race, you're out of luck unless you're in New Jersey. Last week, a judge there ruled that if you swore that you voted for one of the drop-outs, you had to be granted another ballot.

Speaking of New Jersey, our correspondents from Jersey, Massachusetts, Tennessee and Delaware check in, after the jump. Interesting stuff—Republicans in Tennessee said they wished they could vote for Obama, and in Massachusetts, a few young women said they were crossing party lines to vote for him. Turns out he's a uniter after all!

And now, our totally unscientific survey results!

New JerseyCorrespondent Tina Smithers reports that in New Jersey, as in many states today, Clinton and Obama appear neck and neck despite Clinton's early lead in real polls. McCain is, unsurprisingly, beating up on Romney, Ron Paul and Huckabee alike in the relatively moderate New Jersey. One Jersey voter, 27-year-old Emma told our pollster: "I'll likely vote for McCain, though I'm not really happy with any of the Republican candidates. I will probably swing Obama's way should he win the Democratic primary."

DemocratsClinton: 5Obama: 5

Republicans:McCain: 5Paul: 1Romney: 1Undecided: 2

Massachusetts

Caitlin E. Curran, 25, tells us that the big—and, if one was watching in Iowa and New Hampshire, unsurprising—news from there is that Obama is way ahead among her independent friends. Massachusetts is one of those wacky crossover state where voters can vote in any party's primary, which gives people less of an incentive to register as a member of a political party. As polls have been hinting, the not-popular former Governor Romney isn't doing that well.

Independents Clinton: 1Obama, 4

DemocratsClinton: 4Obama: 7

RepublicansMcCain: 1Romney: 3

Tennessee

Checking in from Nashville, Jessica Ennis, 31, says that McCain has a strong lead in the Republican race, thanks to voters like 28-year-old Kacey, who says, "I chose McCain because he isn't as liberal as Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama but he isn't too conservative. To me he seems like he is focusing more on winning an election than winning a popularity contest. I'd like to see us pulling troops out of Iraq and concentrating more on fixing the problems within our own country." Kacey's probably going to be a little disappointed to find out that McCain's okay with staying in Iraq for 100 years.

RepublicansHuckabee: 1McCain: 6Paul: 1Romney: 2

DemocratsClinton: 4Obama: 6

Delaware

The word from 23-year-old Michelle Azzensi is that Clinton and Obama are tied here as well. As is the case with many other GOP voters this year, there's disappointment that the party hasn't fielded candidates who got her friends excited—but a few of Michelle's Republican friends said they wished they could vote for Obama! That's the sort of statement one doesn't generally hear from GOP stalwarts, and could be an important signifier

DemocratClinton: 5Obama: 5

RepublicanHuckabee: 2McCain: 4Paul: 1 Romney: 2

What do you think? Are you watching the polls? Speak up in the comments!